Clyne Valley Country Park, Swansea - 28 Feb 2016

We woke up to the sun shining through the window so we didn't want to waste time driving anywhere far and decided to go to Clyne Valley Country Park, only a few miles away.

There are a number of ways to get in and we parked at the Ynys Newydd car park in Sketty, Swansea. It is infact Swansea's only country park and within its 700 acres is a great diversity of plants and animals. There is a wide variety of landscapes, including meadow, lakes, wetland and woodland. 

We didn't spend the whole day here, but for the few hours that we did we discovered lots of nature. Check out the photos of our first time exploring Clyne Valley Country Park.

The path from the car park where you will find maps and the start of the nature trail.

The first bird we spotted was a rather large Wood Pigeon.

The path continues through deciduous woodland.

The path takes a decline and we reach a small footbridge that crosses the River Clyne.

The view of the River Clyne taken from the bridge, but we didn't cross it - instead we walked along the river.

We passed a tree full of Turkey Tailed Fungi.

To the left of the river is a swamp system, full of iris and bulrush.

It also had quite a lot of frog spawn...

...and a robin was flying in and out of the bushes.

We walked along the river.

Yellow Gorse was flowering.

We spotted a Dipper on the river (photo by Dan Turner).

We continued walking along the river, but it was getting a bit muddy and turned back.

On the way back we saw Long Tailed Tits.

Giant bracket fungi on an old tree trunk.

There were quite a few birds around including Song Thrush... (Photo by Dan Turner)

...and Blue Tits. (Photo by Dan Turner)

A mossy log with lots of different bugs in it.

Marsh Marigold is starting to bloom.

On our way back along the swamp we noticed this Scarlet Elf Cup fungi, then we noticed more...

...and more...

...and more! Beautiful bright red fungi and the first time I had ever seen them :)

A quick stop at one of the benches overlooking the pond. (Photo by Dan Turner)

A few mallard on the pond.

There are a number of walking tracks through the park including 'The Mumbles Way'.

A huge bracket fungi.

When we made our way back to the car we noticed lots of birds around including Nuthatch...

...Blackbirds...

....and a goldcrest! YES! My first spotting of a goldcrest, not the best pic in the world, but at last I saw one!

A great park, especially in the nature trail section. There are a few cycle tracks in the middle of the park, so we think we will stay away from that section next time and concentrate on the nature trails. A place I will definitely go back to in the spring - I noticed quite a few bird boxes, so hopefully we will see some fledglings in a few months time. Apparently they have kingfishers, woodpeckers, foxes and badgers, we didn't see any this time, so another reason to go back.

Another great nature place on our doorstep :)

Further reading...

• Swansea Council - Clyne Valley Country Park